What Makes Them Heroes
by SqueakyTheDuck
Summary: Chris DeSoto takes his sister for a walk and teaches her a lesson about true heroes. Please R


"This is a great show!" Seven-year-old Jenny DeSoto sat on the floor in front of the television, enraptured by the flickering images. Her nine-year-old brother Chris looked up from the book he was reading.

"What's so great about it?" he scoffed. "It's just some cheesy science fiction show."

"But it's awesome!" Jenny insisted. "The heroes kick the bad guys' butts!"

Chris set his book down and leaned forward. He was mature for a child his age, and right now his expression matched the look his father Roy often got when thinking seriously.

"What makes them heroes?"

"Huh?"

"What makes them heroes?" Chris repeated. "What is it about them that makes them so great?"

"They have awesome superpowers and they fight bad guys and shoot things and fly and a whole bunch of other stuff!" Jenny replied excitedly.

Chris stood up from his place on the couch. He motioned for his sister to stand up. She did so, and he took her hand. "Come on," he said.

"What are we doing?" Jenny asked.

"We're going for a walk." Chris said simply. "Mom, me and Jenny are going out for a little while!" he called into the kitchen. "All right." Joanne called back. "Just be back in time for dinner."

"We will be." Chris promised.

Chris led Jenny outside, and the two of them walked down the street together. Chris seemed alert, looking around. At last he spotted something.

"Look, Jenny," he pointed across the street, where two boys were doing yardwork, while the owner of the house, an old lady, watched from a wheelchair on the porch, a huge smile on her face.

Jenny nodded, still not catching on to what her brother was doing.

The brother and sister continued walking. "Look over there." Chris pointed again and Jenny looked. This time she saw a woman sitting on the sidewalk, her arm bleeding from what looked like a scrape. Kneeling beside her was a man cleaning off the scrape, then putting a bandage on it.

"See that?" Chris asked. Jenny nodded and the two children kept walking.

Soon a friend of theirs approached them. The spitting image of his father, Michael Stoker Jr. was a good-looking young boy, and right now his handsome features were enhanced by a bright smile.

"Hi, Mikey." Chris greeted his older friend.

14-year-old Mikey smiled even wider. He was a quiet boy, like the elder Mike Stoker, but also like his father, tended to talk more when he was excited or worried.

And right now he was excited. "Hi Chris, Jenny. Hey, do you guys wanna buy tickets to a baseball game?"

Chris cocked his head. "Baseball game?"

Mikey nodded. "Me and some friends are putting together a baseball game. We're gonna donate all the money we get from the tickets to the orphanage in town."

Chris grinned. "Sure, I'll buy a ticket. How much?"

"Ten bucks for adults," Mikey replied. "Seven for kids."

Chris fished around in his pocket, but came up with nothing. "I don't have any money." He said dejectedly.

"That's okay." Mikey assured him. "My dad said that he'd spread the word at the station. Your dad will probably buy tickets for your whole family. If not, I'll pay for your admission myself."

Chris perked up. "Really?"

"I promise." Mikey stated.

"Thanks." Chris said. "Listen, I gotta get going. I'll see you at the game."

Mikey waved good-bye as his two younger friends walked away.

"I don't get it, Chris." Jenny said as they walked down the street. "Why did you show me all that stuff?"

Just then, the two children heard sirens. They stepped up onto the curb as Squad 51 rolled by. The two children waved to their father as the squad whizzed by, and they managed to glimpse Roy waving back.

Chris then sat down on the curb. He patted the ground next to him and Jenny sat down beside her brother. Chris propped his elbows on his knees and looked over at his sister.

"Think about what you saw today." He said. "You saw those boys helping a disabled old lady, you saw a man helping somebody who was hurt, you saw Mikey and his friends working hard to get money for the orphanage, and you saw Dad and Uncle Johnny just now, going to save somebody's life."

Chris stared deeply into his little sister's blue eyes. "None of these people _have _to do what they're doing. They do it to out of kindness, and they'll probably never get any reward or recognition for any of it like the superheroes on TV do."

"You see, Jenny, not all heroes have superpowers or fight crime. The real heroes are those everyday people who make sacrifices to help other people. _That's_ what makes _them _heroes."

Jenny was quiet for a few moments, thinking about the lesson her big brother had taught her.

"Chris?" she said at last.

"Yeah?"

"C'mon," she stood up. "Let's go help Mikey set up that baseball game."


End file.
